12 Truths to Help Us Grow In Our Hatred of Sin

By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. –Hebrews 11:24-25

Sin can seem quite pleasurable at the time. Even if we know that it’s wrong or unwise we still have a tendency to coddle our sin. This is because we do not see sin for what it really is. I’m convinced that we will not be as passionate about turning from sin unless we truly hate it.

With help from Richard Baxter here are twelve things to meditate upon that will help us grow in our hatred of sin. As you read through this I encourage you to make this practical. Keep in your minds eye that particular sin that the Spirit has been nagging you about.

1. Meditate on the character of God. You cannot know the seriousness & ugliness of sin without knowing the beauty of the God of whom sin is against.
2. Consider the work of Christ. Christ came to kill that sin that we are holding on to.
3. Ponder the work of the Holy Spirit. He came to purify us—can we then abide with sin?
4. Know the wonderful love and mercy of God. The ugliness of sin is shown in comparison to the great love of the God that we are sinning against. Every sin is a sin against the hand of mercy.
5. Consider what you were created for. Knowing the “excellent, and high, and holy work, you were created for” shows from what height sin has made us to fall from.
6. Think of the delights that come from holiness. Sin robs you of true delight, remember those seasons of delight that sin has robbed from you.
7. Think upon heaven. There is no sin in heaven. If it doesn’t satisfy and give joy there—what makes us think it is worthwhile in the present?
8. Look to the state of the damned. Consider the difference between angels and devils. “Holiness and sin do make the difference”.
9. Consider what men say of sin at the last. What do men in heaven and hell say of sin? If it’s not applauded in hell, and it’s not, then it should not be applauded here.
10. Look upon sin and judgment together. Remember that you must answer for this sin before God, and angels, and all the world.
11. Consider the grave. “Sickness, poverty, shame, despair, death, and rottenness in the grave” is the consequence of sin.
12. Look upon truly holy people and great sinners. Is there no difference? Sin is the foundational difference between the two.

As we consider the odiousness of sin let us also consider the beauty of Jesus. He rescued us from the muck and mire of sin. May we flee from it today and live in His redemption and not foolish rebellion.

Repent and run to Jesus.

Consider this from Spurgeon as you ponder the ugliness of sin:

Suppose I could find out a sinner so vile that Jesus Christ could not reach him; why then the devils in hell would take him through their streets as a trophy; they would say, "This man was more than a match for God; his sin was too great for God's grace." What says the Apostle? "Where sin abounded"—that is you, poor sinner;—"where sin abounded"—what sins you plunged into last night, and on other black occasions,—"where sin abounded"—what? Condemnation? Hopeless despair? No, "Where sin abounded grace did much more abound." I think I see the conflict in the great arena of the universe. Man piles a mountain of sin, but God will match it, and he upheaves a loftier mountain of grace; man heaps up a still huger hill of sin, but the Lord overtops it with ten times more grace; and so the contest continues till at last the mighty God plucks up the mountains by the roots and buries man's sin beneath them as a fly might be buried beneath an Alp. Abundant sin is no barrier to the superabundant grace of God.

Preach With the Seamstress in Mind

I am a fan of NBC’s Parks and Recreation.  Towards the end of last season the main character, Leslie Knope, was running for councilwoman.  In one particular episode Leslie goes bowling to win votes, particularly the vote of a guy named Derek that said he would not vote for her because she “doesn’t look like someone who bowls”.  Leslie bends over backwards to get this guys vote.  In fact she ignores every other vote in the bowling alley in the hopes of winning the vote that seems to be forbidden. 

As I think about this episode I cannot help but wonder if we preachers might be guilty of this on occasion.  Charles Spurgeon warned against something similar in his classic work Lectures to My Students.  Spurgeon reminds young preachers to “not make minor doctrines main points” as well as to “not paint the details of the background of the gospel picture with the same heavy brush as the great objects in the foreground of it”. 

I know that on occasion I have been guilty of doing this very thing.  It can be tempting to spend a majority of your sermon trying to win over that guy that you know disagrees with your point.  You become like Leslie Knope and have tunnel vision.  Your attempting to win over those in the room that hold a contrary position on a minor point and so you spend an inordinate amount of time parsing secondary doctrinal issues. 

Spurgeon reminds the preacher to keep the “godly widow woman, with seven children to support by her needle” in mind when you preach:

…if you preach to her on the faithfulness of God to his people, she will be cheered and helped in the battle of life; but difficult questions will perplex her or send her to sleep. 

Spurgeon is not saying that we ought never to preach on things that may not be of immediate practical importance to the needle-worker.  But he is saying that the greatest force of our preaching ought to be on announcing the good news of the gospel and not wading through, or creating, a theological quagmire. 

Preacher, preach with the seamstress in mind and don’t worry so much about winning theological arguments from the pulpit. 

Soiling My Garments

Occasionally it seems that the Lord will turn up the fires of conviction.  Though it is very painful at the time it is actually a very good thing.  There are times in my life when the Lord puts the immensity and the odiousness of my sin before my face.  I really do feel as Newton’s wretch. 

In these times it can be tempting to think that grace does not apply to a supposedly washed and redeemed sinner.  Of course if I were a new believer or even better still an unbeliever then the overwhelming presence of sin in my life would not be shocking.  It would be understandable.  But not with me.  I’m a pastor.  I have been saved for even longer than the last time the Royals had a winning season. 

In these times I hear the voice of the Accuser.  In really dark times his angelic voice sounds just like the Lord.  “You’re dirty, Mike.  You’ve blown it.  How can you even call yourself a Christian and still have such pride in your life.  What kind of man are you?  You aren’t much of a husband.  You’re guilty as a father.  Your blowing it as a pastor.  Your prayer life stinks.  Your not reading enough Scripture.  Your dark.  If you want to be accepted by the Father, you’ve got to clean yourself up.  You know that He’s holy.  You know that He can’t look upon sin.  You have sin in your life.  He cannot look upon you.”

I feel like Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah 3. 

I’m standing before the Lord with filthy clothes.  I can’t deny it.  Neither can He.  Like Joshua the High Priest I’m supposed to be clean.  I’m not supposed to be wearing clothes covered in unclean excrement.  But I am and I’m covered in shame as I appear before Him.

The Accuser has a case against me.  I’m supposed to be holy but I’m not.  And so he lobs his flaming arrows at me.  “Is this really your child?  Is this really someone that you’ve supposedly ‘saved’?  Look at him!  He’s filthy!  He’s blackened!  He’s disgusting!”  

In times like this I’ve taken great solace from Charles Spurgeon’s exposition of the Lord’s response to Satan:

“Satan says, ‘the man’s garments are filthy’,’Well,’ says Jesus, “how do you expect them to be otherwise? When you pull a brand out of the fire, do you expect to find it milk-white or polished?” No, it had begun to crack and burn, and though you have plucked it out of the fire, it is in itself still black and charred. So it is with the child of God. What is he at the best? Till he is taken up to heaven, he is nothing but a brand plucked out of the fire. It is his daily moan that he is a sinner; but Christ accepts him as he is: and he shuts the devil’s mouth by telling him, “Thou sayest this man is black — of course he is: what did I think he was but that? He is a brand plucked out of the fire. I plucked him out of it. He was burning when he was in it: he is black now he is out of it. He was what I knew he would be; he is not what I mean to make him, but he is what I knew he would be. I have chosen him as a brand plucked out of the fire. What hast thou to say to that?”

The Lord knows my frame and He remembers that I am but dust.  Furthermore, He knows that my excrement covered righteousness isn’t what matters anyways.  As far as my standing goes I have the clean garments that the Lord has given me.  And those are an already, but not yet.  In one sense I soil those new clothes every day.  And so I am still living in the “not yet” of total redemption.  But in another sense those righteous garments are fully mine and absolutely secured for me.  They can’t be soiled because the righteousness of Christ cannot be sullied.  It’s in the purity of His garment that I can rest even when the Accuser, rightly, reminds me that I’m blackened by sin. 

This fits quite well:

Idol Destruction 101 Part 7

When in doubt just quote Spurgeon.  If you’ve gotten lost in anything I’ve said in the past 6 articles on idol destruction this quote by Spurgeon sums it up nicely:

It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, “Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of his children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus.” All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: he tells us that we are nothing, but that “Christ is all in all.” Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking unto Jesus.” Keep thine eye simply on him; let his death, his sufferings, his merits, his glories, his intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to him; when thou liest down at night look to him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after him, and he will never fail thee.

Yep, that about sums it up. 

Idol destruction does not happen through a morbid introspection that tries to cast down idols and give them to the Lord.  Idol destruction happens because God is radically dedicated to your joy in Him.  This destruction happens because it is the work of Jesus to overthrow the works of the devil.  Idols are cast down because that is what God does through His gospel.  We work to expose their emptiness in light of His fullness. 

Though it sounds too simple and too passive the way to idol destruction (as has been shown in the previous articles) is to aggressively and believingly trust in what Christ has already accomplished.  Idols are empty but until they are seen in light of the gospel they look appealing and they look strong.  But once idols are viewed in light of the unblushing promises that we have been “blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing” they soon melt like wax.

Expose their Emptiness by Exalting His Fullness.  That’s the key.

They Never Told Me That…

A desperate Charles Spurgeon went hoping from church to church to come to understand how he must be saved.  But instead as he tells it:

One man preached Divine sovereignty, but what was that sublime truth to a poor sinner who wished to know what he must do to be saved.  There was another admirable man who always preached about the law, but what was the use of plowing up ground that needed to be sown.  Another was a practical preacher…but it was very much like a commanding officer teaching the maneuvers to a set of men without feet…what I wanted to know was, ‘How can I get my sins forgiven?’ and they never told me that.  (Charles Spurgeon, quoted by Arnold Dallimore in Spurgeon: A New Biography, 18)

Finally our glorious Lord led Spurgeon to a small Primitive Methodist chapel to hear the preaching of what he called a man that was “really stupid”.  He was not trained in preaching—in fact he was not even the pastor.  The pastor was “snowed up”.  But this man stuck to the text and said over and over again—“Look unto Jesus”.  You can read the full story in Spurgeon’s words here.  God used this simple sermon to convert Spurgeon.

Now there are a two errors that we could make in considering Spurgeon’s story.  The first error is to dismiss what Spurgeon is saying and continue with myopic preaching (or even day to day speech).  Every preacher, Sunday school teacher, friend, counselor, spouse, co-worker, can be guilty of proclaiming truths that are around the cross but never actually proclaiming the gospel itself. 

Every preacher should heed what Spurgeon lamented in his searching for an answer to the fundamental question, ‘how can I get my sins forgiven?’.  Of course there is more to the gospel and more to the Christian life.  But having a right relationship with God is fundamental to everything else.  So we must be very careful that in all of our preaching and proclaiming we don’t talk about the gospel but actually explain the gospel.  (I know I’ve been guilty of this far too many times). 

The second error is to overemphasize Spurgeon’s experience to the neglect of preaching the whole counsel of God.  I’ve heard some preachers say things like, “I just preach the gospel”.  And what that means is that week in and week out the entirety of the sermon is about answering the question—“How do I get saved”.  Meanwhile, you have hundreds of sheep that are starving to death, unequipped for their own gospel proclamation, and not hearing how the gospel and its implications impacts every sphere of life. 

Oddly enough—or perhaps not oddly at all—we find the balance in the preaching of Spurgeon.  He taught on divine sovereignty, he taught on the law, he taught on Christian living, he motivated people for missions, he preached the whole counsel of God.  But he also rightly believed that every sermon and every facet of the Christian life is fundamentally about Christ and His gospel.  So I think Spurgeon would say “preach divine sovereignty but do so as a means to shine a spotlight on the beauty of Christ, preach the law but only as a means of leading people to the fountain of grace, preach the Christian life but only as a result of the Lord changing a life, etc. etc.” 

Simply put…when I stand before the Lord I’d be okay with somebody under my charge having their mind blown about the beautiful reality of the expansiveness of divine sovereignty and then hearing them say, “Pastor Mike never really taught us this”.  But what I wouldn’t be okay with are people under my charge standing before the Lord with really sweet doctrine, a list of missions activities, and AWANA pins being shocked when the Lord of glory says, “I never knew you”.  I don’t want them to go to hell being able to say, “Pastor Mike never told us how to have forgiveness of sins”.  

A Fly and a Mountain

Man piles a mountain of sin, but God will match it, and he upheaves a loftier mountain of grace; man heaps up a still huger hill of sin, but the Lord overtops it with ten times more grace; and so the contest continues till at last the mighty God plucks up the mountains by the roots and buries man's sin beneath them as a fly might be buried beneath an Alp. Abundant sin is no barrier to the superabundant grace of God.  (Charles Spurgeon from Grace Abounding)

My sin is but a fly to the mountain of God’s grace. 

Maybe I should stop trying to earn His favor today and instead simply bask in His greatness and live in His love. 

The Bridge of Grace

O LORD, how many are my foes!
        Many are rising against me;
     many are saying of my soul,
        there is no salvation for him in God. Selah

    But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
        my glory, and the lifter of my head.
     I cried aloud to the LORD,
        and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

    I lay down and slept;
        I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
     I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
        who have set themselves against me all around.

    Arise, O LORD!
        Save me, O my God!
    For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
        you break the teeth of the wicked.
    Salvation belongs to the LORD;
        your blessing be on your people! Selah
(Psalm 3 ESV)

I love this Psalm.  Here is David broken, hurting, and feeling trapped.  I mean the guys own son is thirsty for his blood.  And to top it all off he hears their taunting, “there is no salvation for him in God”. 

Now that can mean a couple of things.  It could mean that they are saying, “David, you are so wicked there is no hope for you to be found in the Lord; there is no way that God can forgive someone like you.”  Or it could be simply questioning the faithfulness of God.  More than likely it is the first one. 

Have you heard these messengers? 

Perhaps they are saying, “your sins are so bad there is no hope for your soul.  Clean yourself up and then maybe the Lord will find you acceptable”.  Sometimes it cuts deeper.  It’s not just our behavior that is unacceptable, it’s our entire being.  And at times they sound like this, “You are on your own. If you want change you better make it happen yourself. God is sick of having to do it. It’s about time you start carrying your load”.

And every day we hear from messengers saying, “This will save you”. Underneath this idolatry is the message that you had better find refuge in this new (fill in the blank) because God isn’t sufficient to make you acceptable.

In our darker times we believe the lie.  We try something new.  Even holy, churchy, Jesus-sounding things.  This new study will finally fix me.  This new strategy for conquering addiction will finally break the chains.  This new information will transform me.  This new community will finally heal these wounds. 

But notice David…

He had a history with the Lord.  He believed that God was is shield (notice that it isn’t that God gives David a shield.  God IS the shield).  He knew that these messengers were liars, and it did not matter how many or how loud they shouted.  David had firmly experienced and had it settled in his mind (at least on this occasion) that Salvation belongs to the Lord and in nothing else. 

David is only saying what Spurgeon did thousands of years later:

Ah! the bridge of grace will bear your weight, brother. Thousands of big sinners have gone across that bridge, yea, tens of thousands have gone over it. I can hear their trampings now as they traverse the great arches of the bridge of salvation. They come by their thousands, by their myriads; e'er since the day when Christ first entered into His glory, they come, and yet never a stone has sprung in that mighty bridge. Some have been the chief of sinners, and some have come at the very last of their days, but the arch has never yielded beneath their weight. I will go with them trusting to the same support; it will bear me over as it has borne them.

Don’t believe the lie…the bridge of grace will bear your weight!!!!  Salvation belongs to the Lord. 

A Weak Faith, A Strong Christ

“A weak faith may lay hold on a strong Christ”

I could have swore that this quote was from Richard Sibbes.  I know for certain that Thomas Watson wrote it in his work A Body of Divinity.  Regardless of where it came from I know that it has been used by God to encourage and strengthen my soul. 

When I interviewed for my current position as associate pastor one of the questions asked me was this:  What is the most important aspect of your faith?  My response was simple.  It’s object. 

Of course you want to increase your faith.  As faith increases our experience of God intends to increase.  This seems to be what Paul was praying for when he prayed for the Ephesians that “the eyes of [their] hearts may be enlightened”.  That’s a decent definition of faith: seeing Jesus with the heart.  The result, says Paul, is that “you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe…”  In other words,

more faith—>greater sight—>deeper experience of the grace already received

So, we should passionately pursue an increase in faith.  But we must constantly remember that our pursuit is a greater sight of faith’s object; namely, Jesus Christ. 

For those that feel weak in faith be encouraged by the fact that the gospel is true in your life no matter if your trust in Christ is weak or strong.  The hope of the gospel is fixed for all those that embrace Christ, even if that faith is no bigger than a mustard seed. 

Our faith doesn’t save us.  Our Savior does.  And he is very strong.  As Spurgeon once said:

Ah! the bridge of grace will bear your weight, brother. Thousands of big sinners have gone across that bridge, yea, tens of thousands have gone over it. I can hear their trampings now as they traverse the great arches of the bridge of salvation. They come by their thousands, by their myriads; e'er since the day when Christ first entered into His glory, they come, and yet never a stone has sprung in that mighty bridge. Some have been the chief of sinners, and some have come at the very last of their days, but the arch has never yielded beneath their weight. I will go with them trusting to the same support; it will bear me over as it has borne them.

Jesus is indeed Mighty to Save!

Spurgeon’s Opinion of Pulpits

"Pulpits have much to answer for in having made men awkward. What horrible inventions they are…the old-fashioned pulpit has been a greater curse to the churches than is at first sight evident!”
What could have been their design and intent it would be hard to conjecture. A deep wooden pulpit of the old sort might well remind a minister of his mortality, for it is nothing but a coffin set on end: but on what rational ground do we bury our pastors alive? Many of these erections resemble barrels, others are of the fashion of egg cups and wine glasses; a third class were evidently modeled after corn bins upon four legs; and yet a fourth variety can only be likened to swallows' nests stuck upon the walls. Some of them are so high as to turn the heads of the occupants when they dare to peer into the awful depths below them, and they give those who look up to the elevated preacher for any length of time a crick in the neck. I have felt like a man at the mast-head while perched aloft in these "towers of the flock." These abominations are in themselves evils, and create evils.

 Source: The Spurgeon Archive

Review of The Forgotten Spurgeon

Author: Iain Murray

Pages: 254 pages

Publisher: Banner of Truth

Price: 8.40

Genre: Biography/Church History/Pastoral


Quick Summary:

In The Forgotten Spurgeon Iain Murray analyzes the three great controversies in Charles Spurgeon’s ministry. The first issue is his stand against the “diluted Gospel fashionable in the London to which the young preacher came in the 1850’s”. The second issue is Spurgeon’s famous Baptismal Regeneration debate in 1864 (comparatively little attention is given to this issue). The third issue is the one that some believe may have killed him: The Downgrade Controversy.

Iain Murray’s hope in this book is to recover the historical Spurgeon; hence it’s title The Forgotten Spurgeon. As Murray tells upon reading much of Spurgeon he discovered, “that Spurgeon of the sermons was a forgotten man and the more I read the more the conviction deepened. By which I mean that despite the modern encomiums bestowed on him as ‘the prince of preachers’ and despite the anecdotes which still survive in the evangelical world about his abilities and his humor, some of the most important aspects of his ministry have been forgotten” (4). And it is these “important aspects” that Murray hopes to recover.

What I Liked:

Perhaps my favorite writer of Christian history is Iain Murray. Some might accuse him of adding his own theology to history; I prefer to think that is what helps Murray make history come alive for us today. In my opinion Murray accomplishes his objective; he does indeed recover some of the important aspects of Spurgeon’s ministry. He also shows how some of these same issues are plaguing our own day. Especially telling are the sections on the Downgrade Controversy. Throughout this work Murray appears to be faithful to history, faithful to Spurgeon, and faithful to Jesus.

What I Disliked:

I tend to agree with Spurgeon on all three of the issues of focus in this book, therefore, I may not be in a position to say what I disliked. Perhaps, someone of a more Arminian bent might rail against some of Murray’s (mostly Spurgeon’s) comments on Arminianism. I personally found the book helpful—others might think Murray did not deal effectively enough with history.

Also, the color scheme on the cover is hideous. I know it's shallow to say that but it's really that hideous, it must be mentioned.

Should You Buy It?

If you are interested in Spurgeon then most certainly, but be certain to also purchase Spurgeon V. Hyper-Calvinism. If you are interested in the Calvinism and Arminianism discussions then this book will be of interest to you. Those that study church history will benefit as well. I also think church leaders need to read this book; it is a needed corrective to some of our modern ills.

A little tip on buying it; if you want it new get it here, but you can find a used copy cheap on EBay or Amazon.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

UPDATE: To see the updated edition of this book that Steve refers to in the comments go here. Cover looks much better!

Monday's Ministry Musings: Spurgeon and Our Need for Power from on High

“Except the Lord endow us with power from on high, our labor must be in vain, and our hopes must end in disappointment” --Charles Spurgeon

The above quote comes on the heels of Spurgeon’s humorous comment that, “I shall not attempt to teach a tiger the virtues of vegetarianism; but I shall as hopefully attempt that task as I would try to convince an unregenerate man of the truths revealed by God concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment to come”. Spurgeon, an eloquent and highly gifted minister of the gospel, understood that apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in converting souls, his ministry and labor would be in vain. He understood that our task of ministry (and here I am not speaking only of vocational ministry) is indeed impossible without being endowed with power from on high.

Spurgeon deeply believed with the Scriptures that “a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God”. Therefore, Spurgeon knew that his hope was not in “convincing” an unregenerate man of the truths revealed by God but a complete reliance upon the work of the Spirit. The only way that men will come to knowledge of truth is if God puts his Spirit within them (Ezekiel 36:27). To really understand total human depravity is to understand that apart from the work of the Spirit of God no man will come to Christ.

It saddens me when believers balk at the notion of total depravity--the doctrine that sin has affected the totality of our humanness. This doctrine affirms with Paul that without Christ “you were dead in your trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). When we forget the doctrine of total depravity a happy confidence in the sovereign power of God is replaced with an idolatrous clinging to methods, programs, purpose statements, fads, and human ingenuity to spread the gospel grow churches. Unfortunately, church growth experts are not the only ones with amnesia in this area.

Those that are more theologically astute (or at least consider themselves as such) can be guilty of clinging to correct doctrine, beliefs, and "biblical practices" in the belief that such things will inevitably bring about spiritual growth. Yet, Spurgeon's quote must also sound the bell in this area, "Except the Lord endow us with power from on high, our labor must be in vain, and our hopes must end in disappointment”.

Instead of clinging to our human ingenuity let us cast ourselves wholly upon the mercy of God. Instead of clinching our hands around "correct doctrine" let us buckle our knees in prayer. If we really understand the state of fallen man and the power of the redeeming grace of the Lord then we will plead with God Almighty to send His Spirit upon us in our witness, and upon the lost and dying we are witnessing to. Our only hope is power from on high: please join in prayer with me that God might, by His grace and for His glory, send an outpouring of His Spirit upon His Bride and the broken world we live in.

Now if this truth will only go so deep in my heart that it causes action in the moments I'm caught off-guard.

One Reason a Testimony is Not as Powerful as Jesus

Suppose that a man has heard of a great physician who understands his complaint? He has traveled a great many miles to see this celebrated doctor. But when he gets to the door they tell him that he is out. “Well,” he says,“then I must wait till he is in.” “You need not wait,” they reply,“his assistant is at home.” The suffering man, who has been often disappointed, answers, “I do not care about his assistant. I want to see the man,himself—mine is a desperate case, but I have heard that this physician has curedthe like. I must, therefore, see him. No assistants for me.” “Well,” they say, “he is out, but there are his books. You can see his books.” “Thank you,” he says, “I cannot be content with his books. I need the living man and nothing less. It is to him that I must speak and from him I will receive instructions.”

“Do you see that cabinet?” “Yes.” “It is full of his medicines.” The sick man answers, “I dare say they are very good, but they are of no use to me without the doctor. I want their owner to prescribe for me, or I shall die of my disease.” “But see,” cries one, “here is a person who has been cured by him, a man of great experience, who has been present at many remarkable operations. Go into the inquiry room with him and he will tell you all about the mode of cure.” The afflicted man answers, “I am much obliged to you, but all your talk only makes me long the more to see the doctor. I came to see him, and I am not going to be put off with anything else. I must see the man, himself, for myself. He has made my disease a specialty. He knows how to handle my case and I will stay till I see him.”

Now, dear Friends, if you are seeking Christ, imitate this sick man or else you will miss the mark altogether! Never be put off with books, or conversations. Be not
content with Christian people talking to you, or preachers preaching to you, or the Bible being read to you, or prayers being offered for you. Anything short of Jesus will leave you short of salvation! You have to reach Christ and touch Christ, and nothing short of this will serve your turn. -C.H. Spurgeon, Christ in You, Preached May 13, 1883.

Borrowed Light: Today in Blogworld 03/07-09

Brian Thornton has an intriguing quote. Who do you think said it?

This could be a watershed decision by an appeals court in California. The court has ruled that parents have no constitutional right to homeschool their children. I can not articulate a comment on this as effective as Dr. Mohler. I would simply say, "that is just dumb". Dr. Mohler is a little more articulate, read his take here.

Great story of witnessing and faithfulness to the gospel by Timmy Brister: The Cross Isn't Sexy.

Michael Spencer, the IMonk, has compiled a list of 10 Reasons He Doesn't Read Your Blog. It would very helpful to me if my readers would read this article, and e-mail me any suggestions in how I may improve this blog.

I failed to mention this last week. Abraham Piper has a new blog called 22 Words. It is very intriguing. And it takes about 15 seconds to read each post.

There is a very important discussion going on between Rick Love, John Piper, Justin Taylor and a few others. The eye of this hurricaine is found in Love's signing of A Common Word. He gives reasons why, Piper, Taylor, and others do not quite buy it. Here is Love's latest explanation. Here is Frank Turk's (of Team Pyro) response to Love.

Trevin Wax points us to a phenomenal Spurgeon quote admonishing pastors and people alike, to read.

This is a phenomenal post by Ray Ortlund. His central thesis is this: "In the heart of God, moral fervor is beautiful. In the heart of a sinner, moral fervor is complicated." He then offers a few diagnostics to monitor whether or not he is slipping into moral fervor. Wonderful post.

There is a Real Preachers of Genius video floating around. I thought this one was pretty funny (and sadly true) also:

Amazon Reviews

You may remember my 2008 Reading Plan. If I read all of those books I will have read 40. I am hoping to add to this list...my big goal is 100, my lower goal is 50. In reality it might be something in between the two. Another goal that I have is to post a review on every book that I read in 2008. So far I have reviewed Spurgeon by Dallimore and Newton by Aitken. I am also posting these reviews on Amazon; it would be greatly appreciated if you would visit each review and say whether or not it was helpful. Spurgeon here, Newton here. In the future you will see the Amazon permalink on every review.

REVIEW--Spurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore

Author: Arnold Dallimore

Pages: 252

Publisher: Banner of Truth

Price: 11.99 USD

Genre: Biography


Quick Summary:

In the past I have read Iain Murray’s The Forgotten Spurgeon and Spurgeon vs. Hyper Calvinism. Both of these works were excellent at getting to know the theology that drove the man. Yet their purpose was not to tell the life story of the man. Dallimore does just that. He says his goal will have succeeded if many “come to know him better and are both instructed and inspired by his powerful example”.

Dallimore begins his biography by showing the preparation of the man. This serves to help us see the foundation that was built in this mighty man of God. Young Charles had studied and read extensively on the Puritans. Certainly, they (along with Spurgeon’s passion for Scripture) were used by God to develop at a young age the passionate theology of Spurgeon. It is because of the “boy and his books” that Spurgeon became the “prince of preachers” that labored to earnestly contend for the faith.

In this shorter biography Dallimore will lead us from the boy preacher at Waterbeach to the embattled veteran defender of biblical faith against the onslaught of New Theology. We read of his early labors at the New Park Street Chapel to his thriving services at the famous Metropolitan Tabernacle. Dallimore champions throughout this work the exhausting labors of Charles Spurgeon. It is telling that after his death it took many men to carry on that which Spurgeon started and they still were not able to fill his shoes. We are introduced to many friends and even a few in opposition to Spurgeon. We also are honored to meet in these pages Spurgeon’s admirable wife Susannah.

Dallimore closes with a beautiful chapter on Spurgeon’s funeral. He writes as if he were there and takes the reader into the funeral services. I found myself holding back tears, mourning the loss of this wonderful saint. Therefore, I find as I close the book, that Dallimore has succeeded. I feel as if I know Spurgeon better, but more importantly I have been instructed and inspired by his powerful example.

What I Enjoyed:

Probably Dallimore’s best chapter is the conclusion. It was a wonderful idea to close a work on the life of Spurgeon as those that loved him did at his funeral. Dallimore causes the reader to feel as if you are sitting in a seat mourning with the rest of the crowd some 120 years ago. Knowing that Spurgeon’s ministry was based upon “knowing Jesus Christ and him crucified” causes those that are preachers, like myself, to be inspired and instructed. It fills us with a passion and a boldness to do the same.

As you read the biographies of Spurgeon, as well as Jonathan Edwards, one cannot help but feel saddened by a personal lack of labor and fervency in worship of our great God. After reading Dallimore’s work on Spurgeon I am encouraged by the words of McCheyne, "How feeble my spark of Christianity appears beside such a sun! But even his was a borrowed light, and the same source is still open to enlighten me."

What I Disliked:

In the beginning Dallimore, in my opinion, seems a little too uncritical in his praises of Spurgeon. This tends to be a theme throughout the work, but that is often to be expected in biographies. I would love to see biographies about men that desire nothing but seeing Jesus magnified having that same desire in honoring the man.

Another smaller area of criticism would be that while Dallimore proposes to give us a “definitive treatment given to his theology and preaching methods”, I do not see that in this work. Iain Murray does a much better job.

Yet for Dallimore’s overall purpose, of being a somewhat introduction to Spurgeon and dealing with his entire life in a short setting, he does a wonderful job. I find it difficult, other than that which is mentioned, to offer much disapproval.

Should You Buy It:

It is a wonderful work, for that reason I give a wholehearted “yes” to buying it. However, if you are wanting to buy a book dealing with his theology and preaching methods, Dallimore might not be the best place to go. I would suggest buying this book to be introduced to Dallimore’s life, but as an accompaniment I must encourage the reader to buy Iain Murray’s works on Spurgeon.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Borrowed Light: Today in Blogworld 01/03

It was announced yesterday that Dr. Mohler (President of Southern Seminary) would be nominated as the next SBC President. (HT: JT) So, guess what Mohler's blog post is about this morning? That's right, you guessed it...Life in the Cellular Age.

Erik Raymond, the Irish Calvinist, has an excellent article on Expository Preaching. His contention is that while we are heralding a call to return to expository preaching few of us are actually doing it. Here is his conclusion: "Men need to preach the word, not about the word but the word (2 Tim. 4.2). If we are going to keep having conferences that are supposed to center on expository preaching and speak about the need for expository preaching then the men need to preach expositionally or give some type of disclaimer so that folks don’t get confused and the term doesn’t get redefined and lost in our excitement about our “movement” and our contemporary Calvinist super-heroes."

Old Truth has re-posted an article on "Accepting Christ as Personal Savior". The author says some pretty strong things; it will certainly be offensive to proponents of easy-believism. Here are two of his most striking statements: "to [tell] sinners that they can come to Christ whenever they agree to accept Christ as their personal Savior is to deceive and bolster them up in a false "way of salvation". And quoting A.W. Pink, "Man, with his invariable perversity, has reversed God's order. Modern evangelism urges giddy worldlings, with no sense of their lost condition, to 'Accept Christ as their personal Savior'".

Thabiti Anyabwile is dedicating this year to reading and studying evangelism. First on his list is Spurgeon vs. Hyper-Calvinism. It's a great book. I read it last year along with Murray's Forgotten Spurgeon. Today he includes a great quote about Evangelism, Conversion, Revival and Prayer. I pray that this dear brother might be blessed in his study this year.

I never knew he did this. I do not follow very closely the ministry of Pat Robertson but apparently he gives his Nostradamus predictions at the beginning of the year. If Robertson were a baseball player, and his predictions were his average, he'd barely be above the Mendoza line. In 2007, he said the U.S. would be hit by a “major terrorist attack… The Lord didn’t say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that.” Robertson said God told him during a recent prayer retreat that major cities and possibly millions of people will be affected by the attack, which should take place sometime after September. In 2006, Robertson said the coasts of America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, will be lashed by storms. 2006 was unusual, say scientists, in that no major hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. In general, it was a very slow year for storms. In 2005, Roberts said:”What I heard is that Bush is now positioned to have victory after victory and that his second term is going to be one of triumph, which is pretty strong stuff.” Bush’s approval ratings hover at less than 30 percent; I haven’t seen any great triumphs yet. You? (HT: Tim Ellsworth) Pat should be glad he is not living in Ancient Israel...he would have been stoned.

Also yesterday Josh Harris posted his final message on Affluenza.

Our Motivation for Preaching Christ Alone

Two convictions frame the background for this post. 1) I believe that our ministries should be like Paul's: "I desired to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified". 2) Our primary motivation for preaching Christ should be nothing except His glory. We will deal with the second conviction first, then the deal with first conviction, and lastly attempt to tie both of these together.

When our primary motivation for preaching Christ becomes something other than His glory we get ourselves into many troubles. There are many secondary desires for preaching Christ that are right and good, but when elevated to the place of primary they become deadly. A prime example of this is "winning souls". If our prime motivation is to see people saved, then typically whatever we do to achieve this goal is justifiable. "If it reaches one soul then it was worth it". Therefore, we are taught to waver on unbiblical practices simply because it "won a soul".

Imagine this situation. A large group of teenagers are drawn to an event by motorcycles, appealing music, drama, food, and other teenagers. After a couple hours of cool motorcycle tricks and funny drama we hear a brief sermon. It does have a few Bible verses and a young man tells of how Jesus has changed his life. We are not told much about God. We are told even less about sin. We are certainly not told of what God requires of us. The "gospel" presentation is watered down at best. Then an invitation is given. Scores of students "come forward" to accept Jesus. They are prayed for and then they meet with counselors for about 15 minutes. During this time the counselors try to discern whether or not they are sincere in their "decision". They get some information, call them saved (so long as they are sincere and can repeat a prayer and nod their head at the right time, of course), and then send them back to their home church to get baptized.

Whether you believe that using motorcycles, drama, etc. in church is biblical or not is actually not the greater issue I am concerned with. I fall on the regulative principle "side" and figure that such "evangelistic tools" should not be used in our churches. The regulative principle is not the foundational issue. The foundational issue I am concerned with is the mindset that drives this type of event. Why is the gospel so "watered-down"? Certainly, it is so that lost people can understand it. The central reason for preaching Christ is, in this case, so that souls might be won. Therefore, we can water down the gospel in the hopes that it will be more appealing and win more souls for Jesus. Also, we have to have a way to keep track of these "decisions". Sometimes an altar call is enough; but, sometimes we are so successful that we have to get cards so that we can see "how many people made decisions". My main concern is that the gospel is neutered. My secondary concern is that people go home confused and often with a false sense of security.

This is a somewhat extreme example. Now imagine this situation. You are attending a conference on missions/evangelism. You hear some very startling statistics. You learn that every 1.7 seconds someone dies and goes to hell. (Which by the way is probably a fairly accurate statistic; and this should cause us concern). You also hear about our lack of evangelism. You think back upon your year and realize that you have not shared Christ with nearly as many people as you could have. You are plagued with guilt (and perhaps you should be). Then the speaker tells you a touching story of someone that he did not share Jesus with and blames himself for that person being in hell. You are urged to think of all your family members and friends that will be in hell within 100 years if you do not share the gospel with them. You go home; you are now depressed but have motivation to share the gospel with people. As you wake up the next morning it is still sticking with you, but you still struggle with fear--and now more guilt. Then the next day you are a little more numb. You continue down this cycle until next years evangelism conference and then you are reminded of your failure and vow to do better this time around. You wake up again to failure.

Now imagine this scene. You catch a vision of the majesty and holiness of God. You begin to realize that God is passionate about His glory. You begin to understand that God wants to spread His glory to the nations. Furthermore, you find that God is glorified whether souls are saved or not. Certainly we want to see souls saved; yet we are able to trust in the Lord's goodness and know that the preaching of His Word is a means to spread His glory to the nations. This causes you to realize that every time you share the gospel it is a "success". Your standard is no longer "how many decisions" but is instead "was God glorified". You still are convicted at times when you do not share the gospel. This time, however, it is different. You are not stricken with guilt because you sent somebody to hell. This time you feel a deep sense of conviction because you have valued man's opinion over the glory of God.

Do you see how this serves as a filter? The first scenario would never happen because you would be more concerned about faithfully proclaiming the gospel than about "winning souls". The second scenario would also be done away with. We can still share the statistics. We can still point out our failures to evangelism. But this time instead of being driven to an "I've got to do better" mentality we will be driven to the Cross. We will plead with God to show us more of His glory. We will repent of not treasuring Him over the fear of man. We will rest on His mercy to stir up in our hearts a proper motivation for evangelism. We will cry out for more compassion. We will plead with Him to stir in our hearts in such a way that we treasure His glory more than anything else.

I am not alone in my convictions either. Martin Lloyd-Jones found the same thing was true. As Lloyd-Jones began studying Scripture, and the sermons of many men that had been used by God in mighty ways, he found 5 things in common in each of their gospel presentations:

1. The supreme object of the work of evangelism is to glorify God, not to save souls
2. The only power that can do this work is the Holy Spirit, not our own strength
3. The one and only medium through which the Spirit works is the Scriptures; therefore, we “reason out of the Scriptures” like Paul did
4. These preceding principles give us the true motivation for evangelism-a zeal for God and a love for others
5. There is a constant danger of heresy through a false zeal and employment of unscriptural methods

Did you catch the first one? The supreme work of evangelism is to glorify God, NOT to save souls! Therefore, we see that our primary motivation for preaching Christ should be for His glory! Now why must we preach Christ alone? Why must we preach in such a way that we could say with Paul, I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified?

The reason that we must preach Christ alone is because that is how He is to be glorified. We do not display Jesus as a sufficient treasure when we preach Christ plus something else. If Jesus needs motorcycles to be attractive then He must not be that precious of a treasure. The way we preach Christ displays how much we value Him as a sufficient treasure! There is a great snippet from a Spurgeon sermon at Pulpit magazine's blog today that fits well here; The Importance of Preaching Christ. Spurgeon's central thesis is this: "You [as preachers] have nothing else to employ as the means of good, except the salvation of Jesus, and there is nothing else worth telling."

Therefore, I encourage you to preach Christ. Do it boldly. And do it without ribbons and without bows. And when you are preaching Christ do not do it with the ulterior motive of "winning souls". God will do that work. You preach Christ and Christ alone for His glory alone! Remember the greatest Christmas present came without gift wrapping!

The Blood-Earnestness of Alleine

In the Preface to Joseph Alleine's book "Alarm to the Unconverted", he spills out his soul for the state of the beloved unbelievers he is writing to. He feels, as every minister should, the helplessness that he has to convert sinners yet the blood-earnest need for their conversion.

But from where shall I fetch my argument? With what shall I win them? O that I could tell! I would write to them in tears, I would weep out every argument, I would empty my veins for ink, I would petition them on my knees. O how thankful should I be if they would be prevailed with to repent and turn.

Do I have that type of passion for lost souls? It appears that Alleine is echoing the heart of Paul in Romans 9:1-3. Would I be willing to write in tears? To empty my veins for ink? Do I petition them on my knees? Do I even petition them at all?

Alleine knew that his only hope was in the power of God as he said, "But, O Lord, You can pierce the heart of the sinner. I can only draw the bow at a venture—but may You direct the arrow between the joints of the harness. Slay the sin, and save the soul of the sinner who casts his eyes on these pages." I long to not only pray but to live like Joseph Alleine. I am reminded of the heart-wrenching plea of Charles Spurgeon:

"If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for."